'UPA has failed to protect rights of SC/ST students'

Condemning caste-based discrimination against SC/ST students in AIIMS, the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum (PMSF)on Saturdayalleged that the UPA government has failed to protect the rights of reserved category students.

"We condemn institutionalised caste-based discrimination against theSC/ST students in AIIMS and other medical campuses. Despite representations to the PMO by some senior members of AIIMS Faculty on discrimination.... No action was initiated by the UPA and Prime Minister's Office (PMO)," PMSF spokesperson Vikas Bajpai said.

"The UPA government, which is mandated by the Constitution to uphold the interests of the under privileged sections of the society, has maintained stoic silence on this issue," he added.

He urged all sections of society to support reserved category students at AIIMS and force the Manmohan Singh government to take action against the perpetrators of caste oppression.

Dr Bajpai alleged that AIIMS administration has further encouraged the "upper caste chauvinist section of students", led by the students union, to intimidate and silence the protest of reserved category students.

"It seems Director P Venugopal's administration at AIIMS has crossed all limits of shamelessness in denying effective redressal of the discrimination being faced by the reserved category students at AIIMS," he alleged .